Pages

Saturday, 13 February 2010

The Flower Parts

Once again, I have been asked to explain the various parts that constitute a Canna flower, and the first thing to do is to explain that the petals aren't really petals, they are actually infertile stamens that have been adopted to the role. There are two types of these 'petals', namely the staminodes and the labellum, which is sometimes called the lip and which normally acts as the landing platform when an insect ascends onto the flower.

AntherThe part of a stamen that produces pollen. In the case of Canna, the pollen is released through longitudinal slits in the anther.

LabellumA lip. A modified stamen that acts as the lower lip. When visiting the flower, this is where insects will normally alight.

Ovary The enlarged, rounded, ovule-producing base of the female portion (the pistil) of a flower that eventually develops into a fruit after its ovules have been fertilized.

Ovule

An outgrowth of the ovary, which upon fertilization, becomes the seed.

Pistil The female part of a canna flower. A complete pistil consists of three parts: stigma, ovary, and style.Pollen The dust-like particles on the anthers of a flower are pollen grains, these contain the male gametes. They must unite with the female gametes before fertile seeds can be produced.

Pollination The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma of the same or a different flower to ensure fertilization of the ovules to produce seeds.SepalPart of a flower, usually green, that surrounds and protects the flower in bud. The sepals are derived from modified leaves, and are collectively known as the calyx.

StigmaThe part of the pistil of a flower, normally on the tip of the style or ovary, which receives pollen. Normally sticky so that pollen stays attached and grows pollen tubes that descend to the ovary to fertilize the eggs.